


Sing to me, Green Sparrow

by disastergays



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychosis, Rating May Change, Rich Kid Dimitri, Seteth is a professor and Suffering, Trans Male Character, Trans My Unit | Byleth, Vague Slow Burn, tbh this is just the obligatory college au fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24325372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disastergays/pseuds/disastergays
Summary: Go to college, graduate with honors, marry someone in his class, take over the company.Dimitri's life had been planned out for him years ago, he knew the drill, and he knew what he was to do. Ever since his parents had died, Dimitri was decided to take the company over, though of course not without a proper education in business. Garreg Mach was a massive college, and as many in his freshman class, he was goaded into taking an elective class.Music was nice, surely would be easy. Yet as Dimitri got his first grade back, he realized he knew fuck all about how music was actually made.The tutor Dimitri had been given as a result was strange, cold, and a man of few words.Perhaps, though, there was something special beneath the chilly mask. Something that would bring warmth and kindness into his life when nothing else would.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 24
Kudos: 80





	1. Red Thorns

Dimitri had been in the class for three months, and he only had a C. 

Even that was hanging upon a thread. More one bad grade and Dimitri could foresee it dropping down to a D, or worse. 

_ He hated Music. _

Well, no, that wasn't entirely accurate. Dimitri found music incredible, he  _ loved _ to listen to it. He had spent hours as a child sitting beside his mother as she played the piano. That was some time ago, though, and love didn't make sense of notes or tones.

It was already bad enough he had a C in the class, barely passing. He knew if his Uncle were to get wind of his current grade, there would be serious repercussions. Dimitri would like to think given it was his first year in college, Rufus would be a bit lenient with him, but he did not wish to take that chance.

“Just ask for a tutor or something,” Sylvain leant back in his chair, the metal scraped along the tile of the cafeteria. Dimitri was amazed he had not fallen yet, with how often he teetered on the edge.

“Have you ever spoken to the guy?” Ingrid wrinkled her nose, “Mr. Seteth is an asshole.”

“Well  _ I _ took intro to figure drawing like the rest of the smarties,” Sylvain snorted, “We get to stare at tits all day.”

“Dont be fucking nasty,” Ingrid threw her spoon at Sylvian’s knee. He faked agony.

“It is a professor’s job to teach,” Dedue’s voice rose to drown out Ingrid’s and Sylvain’s squabbling, “You should at least ask for him to give you extra help, or if he is incapable at his job, to recommend a tutor.”

Dimitri massaged his temples, “You are right, I suppose. I dread the conversation nonetheless.”

He glanced at the time on his watch, then drew in a steadying breath. Music Theory would start in a half hour, perhaps he should arrive early to class? Asking before the class started might be more polite? He poked at the remaining half of his sandwich, then pushed the trey to Ingrid. The woman gobbled it up without hesitation.

“Well then,” He stood and grabbed the empty plastic tray from Ingrid, “I must be off. Wish me luck, I am going to need it.”

Sylvain gave him a thumbs up, Ingrid responded in turn. Dedue simply shrugged, “You will be fine.”

He dropped the garish red plastic into the pile with his brethren utop a shelf, and left the bustling room. Not that Dimitri could really say much of the quality of food served, but it always left an odd texture behind on his tongue that foods elsewhere did not. He wondered why.

Garreg Mach was a massive college. Split in two, half was dedicated to business majors like himself, and the other half was for those pursuing the arts. Dimitri was never good at music or drawing, though he appreciated the talent for what it was. 

He wasn't sure how someone could make a  _ living _ from it though.

The doors to the musical wing were set in the older part of the campus. It had once been a castle of sorts, hundreds of years ago. Parts of the building had fallen to time, and were replaced with a more modern chic, yet where the old walls still stood, walking into the building felt as though he were stepping back in time. One could almost expect to see knights and servants scurrying down the halls.

Or one of the theater majors wearing period costume for practice. Dimitri nearly had a heart attack when he walked into the music wing for the first time, and was greeted by two men in full suits of armor.

Sylvain had informed him later their names were Raphael and Caspar. 

The door to 103A was left slightly ajar. He peeked inside to see Mr. Seteth writing on the chalkboard, a textbook in his other hand. The room was empty otherwise.

Dimitri stepped in and set his bag down on his usual desk, then approached the silent teacher. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Seteth.”

“Afternoon, Mr. Blaiddyd,” Seteth did not look up from his textbook as he flipped a page, and continued to write.

“I… Am struggling in your class,” Dimitri admitted, and ran his thumb along the smooth surface of his watch. It was gold and silver, with blue engravings. One of the only things he had left from his father.

“You are,” Mr. Seteth agreed, then finally turned his attention from the board to Dimitri. The pair of reading glasses perched upon his thin nose were almost comically small.

“Right, so, I was wondering, if perhaps you would have extra time to tutor me? Or if you knew of someone that could tutor me—”

Mr. Seteth closed the book and nodded, “Yes, I am glad you took the time to speak to me of it. I do have someone I believe would make a good tutor, if you would not be adverse to taking direction from a fellow student.”

“No, not at all. I would welcome the help.”

“Very good,” Seteth removed his glasses and set them on the oak desk, “Meet with me again after class, I will message him to see if he would be willing to tutor you.”

“Right, yes. Thank you, Mr. Seteth.”

The man hummed, “Of course.”

Dimitri took his seat and within the next ten minutes, the rest of the class had filed in. Ingrid took her spot beside him, and leaned over, “How’d it go?”

“Good,” Dimitri whispered back, “My tutor will be another student, it seems?”

Ingrid nodded, “Hopefully they won't be as strict.”

He shrugged, it mattered not if the tutor was or wasn't strict. If he could help Dimitri get his grades up to at least a B, he would be pleased, regardless of how they got along. That said, he prayed they would be someone Dimitri found palatable. 

It was exhausting to be around someone you didn't like.

* * *

When class ended, Dimitri remained at his desk until the room cleared out. After a pause, he stood and approached Seteth’s. The man had his phone out and was scrolling through something, he looked up when Dimitri came to a stop before him.

“Byleth,” Mr. Seteth spoke, “That is his name, he has agreed to tutor you. I feel it fit to inform you though, do not take what he says personally. Byleth can be unfortunately blunt.”

_ Oh, great, _ Dimitri tried to hide the thought from his face. He wanted to go in hopeful though, and forced a smile, “That is quite alright. I shall keep that in mind though, thank you.”

Mr. Seteth stared at him for a moment, then returned his eyes to the phone in his hand, “Are you free Friday at 6pm?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” He typed something into the phone, then, “At 6pm this Friday meet Byleth in room 66M. Do you know where that is?”

Dimitri shook his head.

“Further down this hall are a set of stairs that lead to the basement. Go down, take a left, and there will be a directory on the wall there. From the directory continue down that hall and at the very end take a right, it will be the first room on the left.”

Dimitri would have to write that down before he left, but it seemed easy enough. In two days, he would meet with his new tutor, he hoped they could get along. He thanked the professor and upon grabbing his messenger bag, left the room. He made a quick note in his phone the room number and directions.

As he walked, he sent out a text to his sister-in-law, despite only being a couple months older than he, she had enrolled in the college a year prior. Edelgard seemed to know a lot about the students attending, and wondered if she knew of this ‘Byleth’.

  
  


_ Mr. Seteth gave me a tutor, I’ll meet with him Friday _

_ Name is Byleth? _

  
  


He pocketed his phone and continued out of the building. There were some reports due friday, he would need to finish them before meeting with Byleth, as he was unsure how long the session would last. He would rather be safe, and not feel rushed to finish them before the end of the night.

Music was his last class for the day, so Dimitri found it fit to return to his dorm room. His phone pinged about halfway back. He pulled up the message he received.

**_Edelgard_ **

_ Hm, the name sounds familiar  _

_ but i don't think I’ve met him _

_ What class is he in?? _

  
  


_ No idea, all I know is Mr. Seteth recommended him _

**_Edelgard_ **

_ Probably a music major then ig _

_ Maybe like a jr or sr, no byleth in mine _

Dimitri pocketed his phone in favor of the card key to get into the dorm, he pressed the plastic to the door, and opened it when the beep sounded. He supposed that made sense, it would be foolish for him to give Dimitri a tutor that was in the same class as he. Still, he wondered if it was perhaps a bit of overkill for him to suggest an upperclassmen for a tutor.

Perhaps this ‘Byleth’ sought to pursue teaching? That would make logical sense.

Dimtri opened the door to his room. He had been grateful to be allowed to live in a one-person room, he imagined Rodrigue was the one that convinced his Uncle to pull such strings. It was easier for Dimitri to be alone, and he wouldn't feel as terrible for waking up any roommates with his nighterrors.

He dropped his bag onto the desk just as his phone pinged again.

**_Uncle Rodrigue_ **

_ How r ur classes??? _

Dimitri was always baffled how the man would text with such frequent shorthands, yet spoke so formally in person.

_ Alright, I got a tutor for music _

**_Uncle Rodrigue_ **

_ Good! I am sure u will do fine _

_ Thank you, I do hope so _

Dimitri tossed his phone onto the foot of his bed and pulled his laptop from his bag. He’d need to get the history paper done before the end of the night. It was the shortest of his assignments, so he figured to get that out of the way would give more focus to the longer ones.

* * *

The door to 66M was left ajar. Light tricked from the room into the dim hallway. The lighting in the basement was never really that good, most avoided it. Dimitri doubted he would have ever gone down here of his own accord.

He steeled his nerves and shouldered the door open.

It was a small room, chairs stacked upon each other lined the outer edges of the wall. There was a mirror along one of the walls, and thin bars attached to the segments of reflective glass. Dimitri wondered what the room normally was used for? Perhaps dance or acting?

He shut the door behind him and scoured the room for his tutor. In the far corner of the room, there was a pile of books and a backpack. Though there was no sign of its owner. Perhaps he had run to the bathroom? Dimitri checked his watch, he  _ was _ a couple minutes early. He set his bag upon one of the towers of chairs and pulled out the sheet music they were trying to learn.

Sure enough, by the time Dimitri had pulled a chair toward the table near one of the mirrors, the door opened again. His head shot up as a man walked into the room. The person froze upon seeing him.

As far as Dimitri could tell, the person didn't seem surprised, or worried. Neutral, at best. After a tense beat, Dimitri decided to break the silence, “I am Dimitri, are you Byleth?”

“Yes,” He spoke, and fished walking into the room, the door shut quietly behind him. 

Byleth strode to the bag and books, and dug out a couple spirals and what seemed to be a day planner. He crouched down and opened it up, scribbled something within, then stood and approached the table with his own notes. 

He sat down, and opened the spiral up, then… Nothing. The man just stared at him with grey-blue eyes, no expression, no words.

Dimitri was starting to think Mr. Seteth actually hated him for setting his tutor to be this Byleth guy.

Still, he was going to make the most of it.

“So, um, I need help.”

“I know.”

“Right. Can you help me?”

Byleth tilted his head, a fringe of dark hair fell over his eyes, and he pulled Dimitri’s paper from beneath his hand. 

“What do you not understand?”

“Everything?”

“Wrong,” Byleth spoke, “You have a grasp of the structure of line music, and seem to know the syllables, though not where they fall upon the scale.”

Dimitri bit back his irritation at the man’s bored tone. Perhaps this was some sort of community service for him? Though, he did seem to know what he spoke of. Dimitri took comfort in that, at least. 

“Can you  _ show _ me then?”

Byleth pushed the paper back toward him, followed by Byleth’s own spiral. On it were dozens of notes regarding scale, pitch, and some french-looking word he recalled Seteth writing upon the board the first day of class. It may as well have been a foreign language to him.

“We are starting with Solfège,” Byleth’s voice was even as he continued to talk. 

He guided Dimitri through the basics, though the ‘basics’ to Dimitri were far from basic. Still, for as bored as Byleth seemed to be, he did not grow irritated when Dimitri did not understand. It was interesting to observe the man’s methods of teaching, his brain appeared to be scattered, as he would jump from one method to the other.

It was hard to keep up with, frankly. Horribly exhausting, yet, after ninety minutes passed, Dimitri felt himself a bit more confident. Though still woefully behind where he should be.

“You will not retain any more information,” Byleth stated, cutting himself off mid-sentence, “We will meet again next week.”

Dimitri frowned, “I need to understand this, do you have later commitments?”

“No.”

“Then if you wouldn't mind, can you go over the difference in pitches again?”

“No,” Byleth closed his spiral, “If you continue to force yourself, you will lose what you learned already. We will start with pitches Friday.”

Dimitri wasn't sure how to respond to that. Byleth clearly had no further interest in helping him, as he stood and approached his bag to put his own notes away. He needed to give himself a moment to settle his growing anger, when the wave passed, he was left with nothing more than a vague frustration.

While Dimitri was free next friday, was it not presumptuous to just  _ decide _ they would meet again? What if Dimitri had no desire to suffer through another session with him? Because, frankly, he did not. Yet, his grade was dependent on it, so he seethed in silence as he gathered the papers Byleth had left so carelessly behind on the table. He slipped them into his folder, and hoped perhaps by reviewing them the lesson would sink in better.

Another paper entered his field of vision, Dimitri had to pull back to squint at what Byleth was all but shoving in his face. He accepted the paper, upon it was just a series of numbers.

“It is my phone number, you may text me with questions.”

Dimitri nodded, “Thank you, Byleth.”

Byleth stared at him for another tense moment, then nodded and left the room without further words. 

Dimitri was swift to add the phone number to his contacts under “Tutor”.

  
  


_ This is Dimitri _

_ Just wanted you to have my number on file as well _

_ Thank you for your help _

**_“Tutor”_ **

_ Ok. _

  
  


Dimitri scowled at his phone and pocketed it. Sylvain had invited him to hang out in his room with some friends. In truth, Dimitri didn't really want to go. Sylvain was always loud, and undoubtedly, those that befriended the exuberant man were as well. 

Still, his therapist recommended he attend at least one social gathering with people his age a week. So, that would make his quota.

He stopped by his room on his way to drop off his bag and notes.

* * *

“Ouch, he sounds awful,” Sylvain’s eyes did not leave the screen, “Maybe you can ask your Professor to get you a different one?”

“No way,” Ingrid groused, tilting her controller despite it having no bearing on how the character she controlled moved, “That is super rude. I’d say just grin and bear it. You only need to put up with him long enough to understand things, right?”

“Yes, I suppose that is true,” Dimitri rested his head on the back cushion of the couch, “Still, I don't know if I will even be able to learn anything from him.”

Annette walked in with her friend, Mercedes, the two carried plates of various baked goods.

“Who are we talking about?”

“Dimitri’s shitty new tutor,” Ingrid responded, and held out a single hand for a cookie to be placed into, the other struggling to continue controlling her character.

“That sucks,” Annette frowned, “What’s their name?”

“Byleth,” Dimitri grumbled, and shook his head when he was offered one of the sweets.

“Byleth?” Mercedes’ tone surprised Dimitri. The woman set the plate in front of Sylvain and Ingrid, then sat beside him on the couch.

“Do you know him?”

“Well, I don't  _ know _ him. I have met him a few times though,” She said, “He walked me to my dorm when it was storming a couple days ago, and kept my laptop and books from getting wet.”

“Ah, classic womanizer,” Sylvain tutted, “Dude probably wants nothing to do with our sweet Dima here. Too bad you aren't a lady, bro, then you might actually get proper help.”

“Not everyone is as shallow as you,” Annette snapped, then followed up with, “I think I met him once? I ran into him and he helped me pick my stuff up. Very quiet though, I think I heard he’s related to one of the staff members too, or something.”

Dimitri normally would have agreed with Annette, yet, the stark contrast between how they described him and how he had acted with Dimitri was odd if nothing else. 

“He certainly didn't have any ulterior motives helping me,” Mercedes justified, “As soon as I was in my building he just left without a word. Didn't even try your sorry attempt at flirting.”

“ _ Hey! _ ”

* * *

Dimitri perhaps approached the situation wrong. Maybe he should have been a bit more open to what the guy had to say? He could admit, looking back on it, he had been rather guarded to criticism. He would just need to approach with a fresher perspective, perhaps Byleth thought being serious would have made him more comfortable being taught?

Dimitri was a bit surprised when Seteth asked him to remain after class, the following tuesday.

“How is the tutoring going?”

“Well, I am learning.”

Seteth raised a brow, “Are you content with him as your tutor then?”

That… Was odd. Dimitri nodded, a lie, but he was unsure how to formulate his mouth around the truth in a way that was  _ not _ horribly rude.

“Hm, I am glad to hear it then. I will inform Byleth he was mistaken, then.”

“What? Did he tell you about our session?” Dimitri was surprised, though he probably should not have been. Seteth was likely Byleth’s professor as well, or at least had been at some point.

“Yes, he seemed quite worried you did not like him,” Seteth responded airily, and removed his glasses to tap away upon his phone.

_ Byleth had been worried Dimitri did not like him. _

Yes, it seemed Dimitri had misjudged the man afterall. Perhaps he was shy, and that was why he had been so cold. Guilt gnawed at the back of his skull for speaking so poorly of him to his friends, he would have to rectify that as soon as he was able.

“You are free to go, Mr. Blaiddyd,” Seteth informed, and set his phone to the side, “Thank you for staying.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Seteth.”

Dimitri left the room in higher spirits. He had nothing left to do for the day, so he decided to go on a little adventure. He made the quick trek down the stairs to 66M. The lights were on, and Dimitri peeked through the window. 

Dimitri did not recognize any of the students there, ballet practice was in session. There was a bit of pride knowing his hunch about the rooms intended purpose had been correct. He left the door’s window and started his path back upstairs. Though, just as he was about to take the stairs, none other than Byleth himself started descending down them.

“Ah, hello Byleth,” Dimitri chirped, he was eager to make a better impression on the man.

Byleth froze again, and stared at him for a terse moment. No sign of recognition in his eyes. Dimitri couldn't help but feel hurt at the notion.  _ Surely _ he was not so forgettable.

“Dimitri, right?”

“Yes, you tutored me Friday.”

Byleth nodded, “I recall. You did well.”

The praise from him was odd. He had not complemented or assured him at all during the actual session, nonetheless hearing it now brought a surge of pride to his chest. 

He did  _ well.  _

Good.

Byleth continued walking without any further words, Dimitri called after him, “See you Friday?”

Though he received no response. Right.

Maybe he had somewhere to be? That had to be it. He perhaps was going to be late for his next class, evening classes were common enough, though few classes for business were late. Music Theory was his latest class of the day.

Dimitri watched Byleth scurry around a corner, then continued his accent to the ground floor. He’d see him on Friday.

* * *

Days came and went, got A’s on all the papers he turned in, thankfully. Though he still got a C on the last assignment to fill out sheet music. Dimitri liked to think he’d get a better grade on this coming one, with Byleth’s help.

As he approached 66M, like before, all chairs were pushed far against the walls, and a single teacher’s desk was near the mirror. This time Byleth was already there and had his computer open. He was tapping away in some sort of document, though saved and closed it when Dimitri shut the door.

“Hello, Byleth.”

“Dimitri,” Byleth acknowledged, though he didn't look up from his computer immediately. 

He opened another writing program, this one seemed to be music-focused, and typed some symbols and words onto that. Dimitri wondered what it was for. While Byleth did whatever he was doing, Dimitri took the chance to unpack his things and brought his folder and notes to the desk with a chair. After he sat down, Byleth saved and closed the program.

From the mirror behind him, Dimitri would see the home screen on his computer, it was an image of the man with several women, and another man.

Eager to try and break whatever ice existed between them, Dimitri spoke, “Oh, is that your family?”

Byleth peered at him over the top of his laptop, “What is?”

Dimitri gestured to the mirror, and when Byleth turned around, some expression of what probably was understanding passed his face. He turned the laptop for Dimitri to see better, “Yes.”

Byleth pointed to a woman with dark hair and blue eyes like him, “This is my sister, Bethany. This is my cousin Sothis, though she’s grown up with us. My mother, father, and that is Flayn, she is also my cousin.”

The people in the picture seemed so happy. The young girl (Flayn, he said) Byleth was holding, had one arm around his neck, the other holding up a fish nearly the size of herself. She had a wide smile, mirrored by Byleth’s sister and other cousin. Byleth did not smile, neither did his mother. Though something warm came through the image even so.

It brought a bitter jealousy to his tongue. He pushed it down, and instead tried to make polite conversation about it, “Big family, it seems.”

Byleth shrugged, “I guess, never seemed big.”

Dimitri supposed growing up with a loving family would seem normal to once blessed with that. Dimitri ran his thumb along the smooth face of his watch, his parents loved him, he reminded himself. 

They did not choose to die. He  _ knew _ that.

“What about you?”

Dimitri was surprised when Byleth spoke, there was something odd in his monotone voice. Trepid, perhaps. 

“Ah, nothing so exciting,” He deflected, and quickly changed the subject, “This is the homework for the week, would you be able to assist me with it?”

Byleth accepted the paper from his hand, though did not once break his eyes from Dimitri’s face. It was unnerving. He prayed the man would not push, Dimitri really did not want to have such a conversation with Byleth. Certainly not now. 

Or ever.

“Yes, I can,” Byleth finally moved his intense gaze to the paper, though added, soft, “Should you need someone to speak to, I will listen.”

“Uh, thank you?” Dimitri’s voice cracked at the end of his words, confusion getting the better of him. What a weird thing to just  _ say, _ when barely knowing someone. 

The man had good intentions, Dimitri decided, he simply did not appear to be very good at interpersonal relationships. Something he, frankly, could relate to. Perhaps the tutoring would go better than he had expected initially.

“You are welcome, Dimitri.”


	2. Hornet House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'm just getting started, let me offend  
>  The devil's got nothing on me, my friend  
> All I want is to be left alone  
> Tact from me is like blood from a stone._
> 
> [Beekeeper - Keaton Henson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNFObUiEr0)

Dimitri was right chuffed when he got his grade back from Mr. Seteth, a solid B. Far cry from what he had turned in the week prior. Not perfect, but Byleth had insisted on him doing the work on his own, and to learn from what he got incorrect. They would go over it again when they met up.

Byleth was weird. Very, _very,_ weird. Dimitri could count on one hand the number of times he had seen him actually emote over the two sessions they had done so far. Yet his knowledge of music was unquestionable. Dimitri knew he had a lovely voice, he had heard it as the man went over pitches, and demonstrated with examples.

Dimitri wondered what the man sounded like when he actually sang. 

It made sense that Mr. Seteth had recommended him. Excentricities aside.

The classroom was bustling with people getting to their seats, Dimitri had come a bit later than he would have normally. Far from truly late, though within those extra five minutes, the class began to file in. Dimitri set his bag down and took his seat. He ignored Ingrid’s incessant tapping on his desk until he had his folder out.

“Yes, Ingrid?”

“Mr. Seteth has a _kid._ ”

Dimitri raised a brow, and when his attention went to the front of the room, he found a young girl with bright eyes sitting in the Professor’s chair. The same young girl that Dimitri had seen on Byleth’s computer, an arm around his neck with a fish in hand. Byleth had said she was his cousin.

“Mr. Seteth is Byleth’s Uncle,” He realized, Ingrid covered a squawk with a cough.

“He _what?_ ”

“Annette said he was related to one of the faculty here, it is Seteth, apparently.”

“How do you know that?”

“On his laptop, his home screen was a picture of him and some of his family, she was in the picture. Byleth said she was his cousin.” 

“Huh,” Ingrid turned her head from Dimitri to Flayn (was that her name?) and pursed her lips, “Her hair color is cute. Wish dad would let _me_ dye my hair.”

Dimitri had no desire to color his hair, though hummed along with the sentiment. He had his own list of things he would have liked to do, were he permitted. Sure, he legally was an adult, but he was more importantly a Blaiddyd. Anything to disparage the family name was not tolerated.

Dimitri couldn't let himself tarnish the name either, not after all his parents had worked for. Perhaps once he graduated and took the company over formally, he’d be able to relax a bit.

He knew he was kidding himself. 

Dimitri grabbed his pencil from the floor, it had rolled off without him noticing. As he reached for it, his fingers met only cold wood. He blinked, the pencil gone. He stifled a sigh, and massaged his head. He counted what was on his desk, his fingers brushing over each one as he tallied them. 

Everything was where it should be. The moment passed, and Dimitri could feel the tension leave his body. He probably had not been sleeping as much as he should, staying up late to work was not smart with his already shitty sleep cycle. He would have to go back to setting alarms, probably.

The class started, and it was pushed from his mind.

Dimitri barely heard a word that had been said the entire period. He pulled a hand down his face, and stole some deep, steadying, breaths.

“You alright?” Ingrid’s voice reached his ears, quiet to not make a scene. Or, as quiet as Ingrid _could_ be.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You were doing the… _Thing._ Do you want me to walk you back to the dorms?”

“No, it's passed. I’m ok now.”

Ingrid patted his shoulder, “I’m meeting up with Dorothea. Call me if you need me, ok? I’ll be there in a flash.”

Dimitri nodded and lifted his hand from his face, he forced what he hoped to be a convincing smile, “Thank you, Ingrid. But I am quite alright.”

She nodded, and left his side. Dimitri waited for a couple more moments, then stood and left himself. As he did, the girl perched in Seteth’s chair spoke, her voice bordering on exasperated.

“Byleth sent me another picture of a spider he found,” She whined, “I think it's a venomous one.”

That stopped Dimitri. Did Byleth get bitten? Seteth must have noticed his hesitancy to leave, and took the glasses from his face and sighed.

“Byleth is fine,” He assured Dimitri, then turned his attention to his daughter, “Tell him to put it back where he found it.”

“He has it in a cup now,” The girl added, “He’s _attached._ ”

Dimitri didn't think he could have stopped the chuckle that escaped his lips even if he tried. The girl peered over her phone at him, then to her father, then back to him.

“You know By?”

“This is the student Byleth is tutoring,” Seteth explained.

Understanding lit her eyes and she nodded, “Oh, well, I imagine this is alarming for you then. Do not fret, Byleth is perfectly safe.”

“Does he do that often?”

“Yes, but he only sends pictures to me because he knows I hate bugs,” She wrinkled her nose, “His sister just encourages him, it's awful if those two are ever in the same room. Positively dreadful.”

The girl spoke with such poise that Dimitri wondered how young she actually was. At a glance, he thought perhaps twelve or so, but he had never met a kid that age with such maturity behind their words. Perhaps she was simply articulate for her age.

Dimitri stifled another laugh, and simply nodded, “Well, I hope you two have a good rest of your night.”

Seteth nodded and peered over his daughter’s shoulder to look at the phone as she held it to his face, he frowned. 

“You as well!” Flayn chirped, a juberous sound that was quite infectious. 

Dimitri left the room with a spring in his step.

* * *

“I wanna see a movie,” Annette decided, and clapped her hands together, “Mercie, can you see what’s playing at that theater that's like, a ten minute walk from here?”

Mercedes nodded and her attention left Annette in favor of looking at her phone. Dimitri really did not want to go to a theatre.

“Perhaps we could watch something here instead? Felix brought his anime collection, I believe.”

Annette’s eyes lit up, “What does he have?”

Dimitri shugged, so Annette sent off a text with some flurried taps on her phone, “I asked him.”

“Please tell me you left out that I was the one who told you he had it.”

Annette tilted her head, then sent out another text, “He knows now.”

Dimitri groaned as she cackled.

“Should I still look at movies?” Mercedes inquired. 

Annette shook her head, “Nah, I’m down to just watch some anime with popcorn. Did anyone bring some?”

When no one responded, her cheeks puffed out in a pout, “Well, _someone_ is going to have to get some.”

“I’ll go,” Sylvain offered before Dimitri could offer himself, “Gotta get some stuff at CVS anyway.”

“I shall accompany you,” Dimitri offered, because frankly, he did not want to be in the room when Felix inevitably stormed in and started shouting. 

“Fair enough,” Sylvain laughed, “Lets go before he shows up.”

Dimitri couldn't agree any faster. He kicked his shoes on and shrugged on a light jacket, it was chilly, as autumn bagan to roll in, but still too warm for a coat proper. 

He preferred the cold to the lukewarm heat that had clung to the campus over the last two months, leaving a sticky residue in all his clothes. He _hated_ it. Hopefully the cold would come in sooner than later, he missed snow. Sylvain pulled a black beanie over his auburn hair and the two departed.

“Felix is going to kick your ass man,” Sylvain laughed, Dimitri shrugged. 

They both knew he wouldn't, absolutely would threaten to though. Felix was just loud, much like Sylvain, but in a different way. Felix had an energetic brother, so he supposed to get what he wanted; he had to match that. It was still humorous when the families got together for holidays. Rodrigue was so laid back compared to his sons.

Probably why Dimitri often gravitated to him when the others grew to be too tiring. Or why Sylvain did when his brother was being… His brother.

Dimitri frowned at the ground as they walked, Miklan was a piece of shit. The gatherings he didn't show his ugly mug at were _always_ better.

“You good man?” Dimitri glanced from the ground to Sylvain.

“Ah, yes. Sorry, lost in thought.”

Sylvain chuckled and looked back down to his phone as they strode from grass to the sidewalk of the road leading to town. After a couple more minutes, the man made some sort of noise that drew Dimitri’s attention to the lit screen.

“Got it,” He showed his phone to Dimitri, “Found your tutor.”

Dimitri’s brows furrowed, drawn between scolding him for looking him up, but also curious as to what he found. 

“Profile is private though, so no luck past that,” Sylvain hummed, “Oh! But… Oh she is _hot._ ”

“Sylvain.”

“Sorry, sorry. Did you know he has a sister?”

“Yes, he told me.”

“She is damn fine, look,” Sylvain turned his phone a bit for Dimitri to peer down at.

The woman in the picture had dark hair tied back into a braid over her shoulder. She wore makeup, and a… Revealing outfit. Dimitri could admit she was attractive enough, but seemed different than the woman he had seen in the picture on Byleth’s laptop. Perhaps this was her in a more public setting.

“She is pretty, I guess,” He agreed and Sylvain groaned.

“Your taste in women will never fail to confuse me man,” He groused, and continued scrolling through her profile. It was not private, then.

Dimitri watched with vague fascination as Sylvain clicked a link, and brought up another app on his phone, one with far more pictures. He tapped a blue button, then pulled up a list of people she followed. Dimitri had no idea what he was searching for, so he turned his attention back to the sidewalk. _Someone_ needed to make sure they didn't miss their turn.

“Aha,” Sylvain elbowed Dimitri’s rib, “Check it, got his instagram.”

Dimitri glanced down to see a little profile with videos and pictures alike scattered within. Sylvain tapped a photo, and pulled up an image of a little black spider in a coffee mug. He wondered if that was what Flayn was talking about earlier.

“Here, gimme your phone.”

Dimitri relinquished it, and allowed him to download the app. Dimitri found a lot of social medias taxing, and tended to stay away from them. He supposed something that seemed to be oriented for just sharing pictures and videos would be fine. He knew Ingrid had one, and probably Sylvain given he had the app to begin with.

“Make an account, and I’ll hook you up to our friends.”

Dimitri did, and they turned the corner onto a busier street of town, where tons of little shops and cafes littered the area. Dimitri gave his phone back to Sylvain when he finished the profile setup. 

He wasn't really comfortable giving his name or face to the app, so he just put in the scientific name for lions and had his icon a little blue lion Annette doodled for him a week ago.

“Panthera Leo, _really?_ ”

“What?” Dimitri’s cheeks flushed, “Do you have your name on it?”

“Uh, yeah? I’m changing this, thats stupid.”

“ _Sylvain,_ ” He sighed, though knew it was a hopeless case.

“Alright, I followed me, Ingrid, Annette, Mercedes, your tutor, and Dorothea.”

“I don't even know Dorothea, she’s Ingrid’s friend.”

“And she can be your friend too, you gotta meet some girls, man. What is college without a little fun?”

Dimitri took his phone back and scowled at the pictures that populated his screen. He closed the app and shoved his phone into his jacket, “We aren't here to mess around Sylvain.”

The man snorted and shrugged, “ _You_ aren't. It's not like we’re going to need to worry about loans, once we graduate it's miserable marital bliss and money. You know how it goes. We could fail every class and still be perfectly fine.”

Dimitri wanted to argue, but bit his tongue. Sylvain didn't need to worry about upholding the name his parents struggled and ultimately died for. He could afford to sleep around and party, Dimitri couldn't. He needed to be excellent, graduate with honors, he _had_ to be the top of his class. 

If he wasn't, he would have failed his parents.

They reached the convenience store, and Dimitri pushed his bitterness from his mind.

“I’ll get the popcorn, you grab what you needed.”

Sylvain winked and gave him a thumbs up, Dimitri had a feeling he was buying condoms. He rolled his eyes and found the snack aisle. 

What flavors did Annette like? There was a standard movie flavor, then some that weren't salty, and some that were extra salty? What was the difference? Perhaps he should just get the kernels and pop them manually at the dorm. He pondered the choices until Sylvain appeared at his side.

“Here, let's get the extra butter one here,” Sylvain suggested and knelt down to grab the bright red box, “Annette likes butter.”

“Very well,” Dimitri took the item and paid for it at the self-checkout while Sylvain paid for his inconspicuous black box. They left the store side by side.

“Look,” Sylvain pulled the box from his plastic bag, and popped open the tape seal. He tore at whatever package was inside that, then tapped it out into his open hand, “Spicy chocolate.”

“That was what you were getting?”

“Yeah, try one.”

Dimitri frowned at him, but Sylvain rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the little balls to hand to him anyway. He decided to humor Sylvain, and popped the candy into his mouth. Dimitri did not generally like chocolate. Milk chocolate left a bit of a chalky residue on the roof of his mouth when he ate it, like peanut butter and those blue chips Ingrid shared with him once.

There was a bite on his tongue, it wasn't taste, but he could feel the spice of the chocolate in his mouth. An interesting sensation, Dimitri was not sure if he liked it yet or not.

“Why’d you get them?”

“Well you're in charge of plans next week, I wanna see what you like.”

“You know that is a pointless endeavor.”

Sylvain shrugged, “Just because you can't taste it, doesn't mean you can't enjoy food in another way. I know you like chamomile, and cheese.”

Chamomile smelled good and the cheese was just… Nice. He liked how smooth it was. He held his hand out for another chocolate, even if he didn’t like them, the way Sylvain’s face lit up would have been worth it regardless. 

It was nice to have friends that cared.

* * *

Byleth had a plate of cookies on the desk when Dimitri walked in.

He looked up when Dimitri closed the door, and nodded at him. As much of a greeting as Dimitri had come to expect, and set his stuff down while Byleth continued to work on whatever he had pulled up on the computer. 

When Dimitri sat down across from him, Byleth closed the laptop, and pushed it aside in favor of the spirals he had been using to help Dimitri. Yet, instead of the lined paper, Byleth nudged the cookies closer to Dimitri.

“I brought food.”

“Why?” Dimitri inquired, if Byleth was missing a meal to meet with him, perhaps they should change the time. Dimitri only had two classes in the morning on Fridays anyway, he could be plenty flexible. 

“In case you do not eat before coming,” Byleth stated, “People retain things better when not hungry.”

“Oh,” Dimitri found the gesture rather thoughtful, but he held up a hand and shook his head “Well, thank you for the thought. But do not worry about me, I am fine.”

Byleth’s expression did not change when he nodded, but Dimitri couldn't help but wonder if he was disappointed.

_‘A lot of people bond over food’,_ Ingrid had told him once, _‘You don't have to pretend to like it or whatever, but like, you should accept the gesture, y’know?’_

He pursed his lips and took one of the baked disks anyway. Dimitri bit into it, thankful it wasnt chocolate. It didn't have the worst texture, and when he swallowed it went down smooth enough. He could eat this.

“On second thought,” Dimitri offered a smile to him, “Thank you. I appreciate this.”

Byleth’s expression still didn't change but… There was something different. A spark maybe, in his eyes. Dimitri got the feeling Byleth was pleased, that in turn, brought something warm to his chest. Maybe he was simply projecting what he wished to see, but Dimitri liked to believe Byleth did feel happy he accepted the food.

“Oh, here is the latest assignment,” Dimitri pulled out the sheet music from his folder and offered it to Byleth.

The man looked over it for a couple minutes, then nodded, “Good job, you’ve improved a lot.”

“Well, I mean, I still have a lot to catch up on,” Dimitri shrugged, deflecting the compliment to save him from the embarrassment.

Byleth tilted his head, “Perhaps. You will not need my tutelage much longer, you are smarter than you give yourself credit, Dimitri.”

“I… uh… Thank you, Byleth, truly.”

He nodded, and clicked his pen out, then started to scribble notes on the paper. Dimitri leant over the dark wood to watch him write.

He smelled like peppermint, Dimitri wondered if it was from shampoo or cologne.

* * *

Ignore it.

Dimitri stared at the crack upon his ceiling. Dust fell from the crevice as it splintered, it got in his face as he could taste the ash on his tongue. The crevice grew, the floor would give out soon. He would be crushed beneath the rubble.

Ignore it. 

Dimitri turned onto his side, his mother sat in the corner of the room. Her long hair was down, she was brushing it in front of the mirror on his desk. The brush was a pastel pink, and left trails of forget-me-nots in her hair with each stroke. She didn't look at him, when he held back a hiccuping sob, she didn't hear him. 

Her humming drowned out the noise he made.

Ignore it.

Dimitri pulled his phone from beneath his pillow. He could feel the tugs on his blanket from the hands beneath his bed, but did not look. If he did he’d be sucked into the darkness, he was scared of what lurked beneath. He put in his headphones and on a whim, opened the app Sylvain had installed. 

He found his tutor’s profile, and clicked on the most recent image. It was a blurry picture of a black spider on a leaf, the caption said he couldn't keep it. 

‘Will you continue to lay there?’ His father asked, disgusted at his laziness, it was too early to sleep. More work needed to be done.

_Ignore it._

Dimitri did not respond, and instead turned away from where his mother sat and faced the wall. The hands dug their nails into his skin, it burned.

There was a video next, it seemed to be taken by someone else, as Byleth was in the video. Dimitri waited for it to load, then music filled his ears.

The guitar Byleth supported with his thigh played a simple, melancholic song. His eyes downcast, only focus the instrument on his lap, each string plucked with the most precise movements. His fingers danced along the length of the wood, head bobbing with the tune.

When he sang, Dimitri wondered how the man could have hidden such a lovely voice.

Unlike when he spoke, when he sang, the emotion laced within each word was overwhelming. His voice wavered as he sang, the tremble only served to add to the slower pace of the song. Then, the tempo picked up. His heel thumped against the stone he sat on, yet that did not take away from his playing nor voice. 

There was almost a sense of anger in his tone as the song continued, frustration etched into each word he spoke. A song about expectations, and failing to meet them, Dimitri thought. Did Byleth have a family that expected perfection as well?

The song ended on another melancholic note. As if he had given up resisting what he fought against. Dimitri’s heart ached, and he tapped the little heart next to Byleth’s name. He was truly talented.

Dimitri scrolled down past more pictures until he came to another video, he waited for that one to load.

Byleth was in it, but was not singing. Instead he played one of those lap pianos (Dimitri couldn't remember what they were called) and his sister sang. Unlike in the image Sylvain had shown him, she wore a simple shirt and sweatpants. The two sat beside each other on carpeted stairs, it highlighted just how alike they truly looked. 

Were not not for the difference in gender, he imagined they could have been identical twins. 

The song the woman sang was far different than the one Byleth had. It had a chipper tune, despite the lyrics being rather… Well, horrifically morbid. Throughout the song, despite his sister singing about _killing_ someone, Byleth had the smallest of smiles on his face. He looked as though he was genuinely having a fun time. 

Dimitri longed to be there, he wondered what it was like. To have such a close family to goof off with. The music undoubtedly sounded better in person, he was sure.

When the video ended, his sister laughed and threw an arm around Byleth’s shoulders. He leant into the touch with a smile. 

Dimitri wondered if he’d ever be able to hear him laugh. He liked the video and clicked his phone off. 

The crack was gone, though his mother still brushed her hair, petals fell upon the floor as they devoured her. Dimitri looked back to the wall.

In an afterthought he opened his phone again, and pulled up the first video of Byleth, his voice drowned out the pleas of the damned.

Dimitri slept for a solid five hours before a nightmare awoke him. He didn't bother to try again after that.

* * *

“It helped?” Dedue inquired.

“A bit yeah, helped me through that episode at least,” Dimitri explained, and pushed the salad away. He didn't feel like crunchy food now, he’d wait until the leaves wilted a bit before he ate it.

“Hm, interesting,” His friend hummed, and took a bite of his own food, “Perhaps you should try listening to more music.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri wondered if other songs would help though. Was it just the music that helped, or was it Byleth’s voice that did? 

He could experiment he supposed, his next appointment with his physiatrist wasn't for another two weeks, annoyingly. He knew he could get in to see her sooner if he really wanted to, but last night had been the worst episode he had in a little while. His medication didn't _stop_ the psychosis, but it helped. 

Given he had not totally shut down again, he liked to think he handled it better than the last bigger one.

Music had been helpful in the past, he recalled. But between studying, classes, and other work needing to be done outside of the college, well, Dimitri didn't have time to just listen anymore. He couldn't focus if music played while studying or working on homework so he… Just stopped. 

Maybe he could set out a block of time to just listen to music for a bit. Perhaps it could be beneficial? He’d need to figure out where to slot it in his schedule though.

“Did you ever learn what grade he’s in?”

Dimitri frowned, “No… I never thought to ask.”

Dedue shrugged and didn't seem too bothered by that, though Dimitri felt a bit guilty. Perhaps he should take some time to actually get to know Byleth. From Dimitri’s vague memory, all the images he saw on his profile were of him, odd creatures, or his family.

Did he not have friends?

He pulled out his phone and frowned at the contact he pulled up, he swiftly changed “Tutor” to Byleth, then sent a text.

_Hello Byleth, its Dimitri_

_If it is not too personal, I was wondering what class you are in?_

To his surprise, a little bubble popped up almost immediately, showing Byleth was typing. He must have been looking at his phone already, what great timing.

**_Byleth_ **

_Junior_

_You are a freshman, right?_

_I am, yes!_

**_Byleth_ **

_Cool_

Dimitri stared at the messages, then glanced up to Dedue.

“Hey, it is my turn to decide what we do for Friday’s hangout, right?”

Dedue nodded.

“Do… You think they would mind if I invited him?”

“Would he come?”

Dimitri glanced back down to the phone, his brows furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, he sent out another text.

_Would you like to hang out with my friends and I after our session Friday?_

He watched with anxiety as the bubble showed, disappeared, popped up again, and vanished once more. Byleth had never stricken him as indecisive.

“I don't know,” He admitted, “But, I figure it’d be nice to ask anyway.”

Dedue nodded, “Well, I hope he does. He seems like a good person.”

“Yeah,” Dimitri smiled when a message popped up, “I think he is.”

**_Byleth_ **

_Yes_

* * *

Byleth had cookies again. Dimitri wondered if this was his attempt to forge a friendship with him. He accepted them gratefully and ate one, it was more crumbly than the last, but not gritty as he had come to expect from the texture. Nice enough, as before.

Dimitri was a bit antsy, admittedly, as they went over that week's work. Dimitri did better, but still not the A as he was striving for. Yet the entire time, he couldn't help but both look forward to and dread what would come after.

He hoped his friends took to Byleth well, _he_ certainly had not at first. In truth, Dimitri wasn't sure if he took to Byleth as a person, or if he just liked his help and voice. What did he even know about him? He was a junior, he had a sister and two cousins, a mom, a dad… Standard stuff most people had.

What was his favorite color? Did he like sweet or savory things? Did he like cold or warm weather? Coffee or tea?

Dimitri wondered why any of that would matter.

“Dimitri,” Byleth’s voice drew him from his daze, “You are distracted today.”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I’m listening now.”

Byleth stared at him, his gaze piercing. As if those cold blue eyes could see through him, could see the monsters hidden beneath the flesh. Dimitri’s skin crawled, and Byleth looked away.

“If you cannot focus, we can meet again next week.”

“No, no. I’m listening, I promise, I-”

Byleth tapped his hand with his spiral, “It's ok, we can continue if you really want.”

“Yes, please.” 

He pushed all other thoughts from his mind and focused solely on the musical sheets before him. Byleth was patient as he struggled to make sense of anything, but his brain just refused to work. Words came out garbled and wrong, he _knew_ they were wrong. Byleth allowed him to correct himself, and work through the pages at his own pace.

Never rushing, but never letting him do it wrong.

It was refreshing, to be given the space to work things out he knew the answer to. He was blunt, yes, but Dimitri found it astounding just how good a teacher Byleth was. If he ever did decide to pursue a position as a professor, Dimitri didn't doubt he’d be incredible.

The hour and a half passed rather swiftly after that.

Byleth packed his things faster than Dimitri had, and simply hovered by the door while Dimitri organized his papers. He did not speak, or seem to be in a rush, just stood there patiently. Eerily quiet, though Dimitri wondered if eerie was really the right word for it. Perhaps calm, or peaceful even, would be more accurate.

After he slung his bag over his shoulder, Byleth opened the door and let Dimitri out. He pulled a set of keys from his back pocket and locked the door behind them when the lights turned off. There were several keys on the ring, with various bobbles strung between them. A nonsensical mix of things, from some sort of rubbery bug, to a tiny clay sword.

He wondered if they had any significance to him, or just thought they were neat.

Dimitri’s keyring just had keys, nothing else. They were used for unlocking doors, do-dads such as those were useless to him.

A part of thim found them nice though, perhaps he could add a keychain or something to his. Maybe he could get one of those plastic things to put photos in, and print out the little lion Annette drew for him. He did like lions.

Byleth’s voice broke him from his ponderings, “Which one are you looking at?”

Dimitri could feel heat crawl up the back of his neck at being caught, “Ah, none in particular, just found them interesting.”

“Do you want to hear about them?”

Was this Byleth’s way of reaching out to him? Trying to form a connection? Dimitri nodded, “Yes, tell me about them.”

Byleth held up the ring, and they began to walk.

“The sword is something my cousin made, Sothis. She likes sculpting miniature weapons, she gave Bethany and I a matching pair of swords,” He held up the tiny sculpture. The detail on it was amazing, it looked as though the weapon were made of bone, the painting on it was beautiful.

“She could probably make money from that,” Dimitri said, he leant down to get a closer look, Byleth handed him the keys, he accepted them with utmost care.

“She does,” Byleth stated, “She gets commissioned occasionally to sculpt keychains or figures. The family are the only ones that get the weapons though, I am unsure why.”

“Hm, regardless she is very skilled.”

“She is,” He agreed, then pointed to the rubber bug, “Flayn, my other cousin, gave that to me a couple years ago. I believe she meant it as a joke, since she and my Uncle had gifted me a nice jacket as well, but I rather liked the cockroach. I poked a hole in it’s head and used wire to make it a keychain. Flayn hates it.”

Dimitri chuckled, then gestured to the cartoonishly proportioned fish. It was plush, soft to the touch, and while Dimitri did not press too hard on the item, it seemed to be one of those memory foam things.

“My sister got that for me,” He stated, “I like fish.”

That was as good a reason as any, Dimitri figured. He handed the keys back to him, and Byleth pocketed them in the oversized jacket he wore. It was black, and seemed to have been knitted, with patches of leather on his elbows and pockets. An odd fashion choice to be sure, but it looked comfortable.

“Do you have any?” Byleth asked, it took a moment for Dimitri to decipher what he was asking.

He pulled out his plain keyring, “No, never really thought to.”

Byleth took his keys back out and unwound the fish from it’s ring, then placed it in the hand holding Dimitri’s keys, “Here.”

“What? Oh no, that is yours. I can't take it, I appreciate the thought,” Dimitri tried to give the fish back but Byleth had already put his keys back in his pocket. 

Byleth tilted his head, “It is a stress ball,” He explained, “You are very jittery. Perhaps it would be more useful to you, than me.”

Dimitri wasn't sure if he should be insulted by that or not. In the end, he clipped it to his own keyring and placed it in his pocket, “Thank you.”

Byleth nodded, and shouldered open the door for them as they strode out into the courtyard. 

“This way, the dorm we’re going to is in one of the new buildings.”

Byleth followed after him like a shadow, no more words left his mouth the entirety of their walk. Dimitri wondered if Byleth was waiting for him to ask him something, or if the man just did not have anything to say. He didn't seem adverse to speaking, but would not really offer much up unless asked.

He let Byleth into the dorm, and led him further down the hall to the common area they had their meetups in. 

Sylvain and Mercedes were the only ones there so far, Dimitri knew the others would be trickling in over the next ten minutes. 

“Hey,” Dimitri greeted, Sylvain waved at him, his hands glued to the screen. 

Mercedes had an actual response as she smiled and stood, “Nice to see you Dimitri, did you decide what we’re watching tonight?”

He shook his head, “We should wait until everyone gets here,” He decided, “So I can see what you guys brought.”

Mercedes nodded, then leant a bit to the side, looking around his arm. When he glanced behind him, he was surprised to see Byleth standing almost directly behind him, almost as if he were hiding from Mercedes' gaze.

“Hello, Byleth, right?” Mercedes’ voice was quiet and welcoming, as it always had been. Dimitri stepped a bit to the side, and he noticed the way Byleth’s eyes darted to him. Was he debating on hiding behind him again?

Was that even what he had been doing to begin with?

After a terse moment, Byleth met her eyes and nodded, “Yes.”

Mercedes lit up, “It is wonderful to see you again, and well, actually meet you. I am Mercedes.”

“I remember,” He said, “You had nearly ruined your computer and books.”

She blinked, then covered an unflattering snort of a laugh with her hand, “Yes! That was me.”

Sylvain looked up from whatever he had been playing and laughed, “Wow man, you sure know how to _woo_ the ladies.”

Byleth stared at him, then to Dimitri. He didn't know what the man wanted from him, so he just shrugged. It was Sylvain, Byleth would probably need to adjust to his brand of humor. He chuckled when Byleth glanced back to Sylvain and spoke.

“If that is what you consider a well done courtship, I pity whoever may catch your eye.”

Sylvain’s mouth opened and closed around words that wouldn't leave his mouth. He gave up and wheezed out a laugh, “Alright, you know what? That's fair.”

“Why is Sylvain laughing?” Annette spoke as she entered the room, carrying a bag of snacks.

Felix was on her heel, several movies in his hands. “No good reason, I’m sure.”

“Wow you guys are mean,” Sylvain scoffed, then jerked his head to Byleth, “I bet Byleth would treat me better, right?”

“No.”

Annette and Felix, to their credit, only paused briefly before they set their goods down. Felix cackled, though Annette seemed genuinely confused.

He could have _sworn_ he let everyone know Byleth was coming.

After Annette set her snacks in front of where Sylvain perched on the floor, she smiled to Byleth, “Hiya! I’m Annette, nice to meet you.”

Byleth nodded, though did not speak.

“This is Felix,” She continued, despite a lack of response, “And that is Sylvain, if he didn't tell you already.”

Dimitri strode into the room to see what Annette brought. Not that it mattered much to him, he still was curious. He was pleased to find string cheese among the chips and cookies. Dimitri was swift to take the bag of cheese before any of his friends got their graspers on them.

He stood, and realized, belatedly, Byleth was still standing in the doorway. Mercedes was trying her damndest to make conversation with him, but he only gave her simple responses. Felix and Annette seemed unsure how to react to his presence, Sylvain ignored him in favor of starting up another hunt on his game.

The monster he was going after, some t-rex looking creature, roared and to his surprise, Byleth actually left the doorway to stand beside the couch. He didn't sit in it, but stood there with his eyes fixed to the tv. Did he recognize the game? 

“First time fighting one?” Byleth spoke, all eyes snapped to him, including Sylvain, who rubbed his neck, then groaned when he was killed by electricity firing from its mouth.

“Uh, yeah. Finally got around to getting the expansion pack, saw what new content they’re releasing with it now.”

Byleth nodded, though spoke no more on the matter.

Ingrid and Dedue were the last to file in, both with arms stacked to the brim with movies.

With all of the choices brought, Dimitri sat on the couch and took his time going through them. Byleth sat next to him, he was warm.

“Hey! You must be Byleth!” Ingird chirped, “I heard a ton about you, Seteth is my professor too.”

Byleth nodded, “Hello.”

Dedue introduced himself to a similar response, and once Dimitri decided the movie, he popped it into Sylvain’s console and they all settled down to watch.

Byleth did not laugh once during the movie, despite even Dedue chuckling occasionally. At first, he worried Byleth didn't like it, yet as he kept glancing at him through it’s runtime, Byleth’s eyes never left the screen. 

Dimitri offered Byleth some string cheese, the man’s eyes finally left the screen to stare at what was being offered. He nodded, and accepted the food, peeled open the plastic and just… Bit into it. 

Without pulling off sections or anything. 

It was as horrifying as someone biting into a brick of kit-kats. Dimitri watched in unbridled shock as Byleth just ate it like that, completely. Not a single strand pulled.

Dedue sat on Byleth’s other side, and watched the event unfold with Dimitri. He covered his mouth, though Dimitri could see the smile behind his hand in the pinch of his eyes. Byleth seemed to pick up then, that he was being watched.

“What?”

“I… Have you ever had string cheese before?”

“Yes.”

Dimitri did not even know how to formulate his questions, and ended up just babbling out gibberish in his surprise. Byleth stared at him, then returned his attention back to the movie, blissfully unaware of the havok he had wracked upon Dimitri’s brain.

“I like him,” Felix decided, where he sat on the ground beside Annette and Mercedes.

At Felix’s declaration something changed in Byleth’s expression. Something small.

He was smiling. Dimitri stared at his mouth, the small upturn of the corners was subtle enough he doubted anyone else could see it. But it was there. It was not wishful thinking either. Byleth’s eyes were softened, as they appeared in pictures with his family.

“So do I,” Dimitri laughed, perhaps foolishly, as all eyes had snapped to him.

Upon realizing how he had sounded, he flushed, “W-well, I mean, you are very nice Byleth and are a good tutor-”

“Thank you, Dimitri,” Byleth’s voice was soft but so, so very warm.

He was smiling.

Dimitri could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat.

What was _wrong_ with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri already catching them gay feelings, rip
> 
> Anyway! This chapter was fun to write, it's really interesting writing from a Dimitri's pov that doesn't know Byleth well enough to see all the ways he does actually emote.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed it, and if ya did, let me know! 
> 
> And if you want, come hang out with me on my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/vulturepops)


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